The 2011 instalment
of the annual The Future Awards, in its sixth lap, came with a lot of
changes. The changes however brought with it mixed outcomes. For one,
although it still held on a Sunday night, in this case on January 30,
2011, the venue moved to the bigger arena of The Landmark Event Centre,
Lekki, from the petite Shell Hall Muson Centre which had been its home
for a while. While the move ensured that the event’s large audience are
better accommodated and with an adequate parking space, a good number
of guests however left mid-way into the show for fear of getting
stranded in the somewhat secluded part of the island as the event drags
into the late hours of the night. You shouldn’t expect people to allow you to keep
them up all night on the eve of a Monday in an area they are not sure
of getting immediate means of transportation. This, however, could have
been avoided had the show started on time.
The Show
A lot of critics
and commentators noticed a form of rigidness in the guests and
questioned the quality of the show’s lined up events. Yes, this sixth
edition of the show played down the entertainment portion of the show
to emphasise more serious social and political issues. Even Banky W
refused to perform his popular number ‘Strong Thing’ and opted for the
unfamiliar ‘Why’ to further express this sixth instalment isn’t about
merry making but a wakeup call to the youth and the older generation
alike.
The event opened
with a rendition of the national anthem by four vocalists, Segun Obe,
Essence, Ego Ogbaro and Chidynma and they gave a rendition that is
commendable. Then came the night’s hosts, Ebuka Obi in a tuxedo and
Yvonne Ekwere in an elegant backless dress.
Both display a form
of synergy on stage but somehow struggled in the quest to get guests in
sync. At different intervals, guests were advised to get registered in
the ongoing voters’ registration and vote in credible leaders.
Mid way into the show, the hosts changed, and Mo’Hits’ Dr.SID and Dolapo Oni took over proceedings of the evening.
The performers
The first group to
serve entertainment that evening were a pop music hopeful trio, Chase;
while their music isn’t spectacular, they put in a good shift into
their stage performance that earned them a round of applauds as they
exit after their timing. Lara George was up next on the entertainers’
roll call and the sister came, did her thing and exited amidst applauds
as well. However when Sound Sultan and MI came up to perform ‘2010’, it
was a different ball game entirely. The crowd warmed up more to them
with a couple singing along and the cheering that came at the point MI
made his appearance was the loudest of the night. Banky W’s rendition
was excellent also, he showed great control over the band and he bonded
well with the crowd that when he asked that they clap in rhythm to the
beat, a reasonable number did. However the serious undertone of the
number wouldn’t let the cheering get loud, although he got an ovation
afterwards.
The highlight
The special moment
of the 2011 The Future Awards is no doubt, Mr Chude Jideonwo’s
(Managing Director of RedSTRAT/The Future Project) ‘No More Excuse,
Let’s Save Nigeria’ speech. Not only was he eloquent in his speech, he
was unapologetically stern, showing the characteristic of a change
seeker and believer.“People are suffering,” he said.
“Parents who earn
N25,000 to N30,000 are expected to pay school fees of up to N250,000.
There is an overpowering sense of powerlessness, of hopelessness. And
if anybody is saying anything different to President Jonathan and all
of government, then they are lying. …let me speak candidly. Because
it is in the middle of these kinds of crisis that the governments of
the Niger Delta seem to have come together and decided that the
solution for this problem is to organise a Miss Niger Delta
competition” The applauds he received showed the remaining guests
present concurred.
Other speakers
include Olusegun Aganga, the present minister for Finance, charging
youth to be better leaders while revealing plans by the federal
government to help develop young entrepreneurs.
Photographer and The Future Awards Nominee, Aisha Augie-Kuta also gave a short recitation on how poverty is cramping the youth.
Got it real bad
Even though
criticising an event for starting late in Nigeria can so much now come
across as a clichéd way of writing about an event, this shameful trend
must be made unpopular. The awards was scheduled for 6:30pm but never
commenced until exactly an hour and half later even though a good
number of guests were already on the red carpet by then. Why do you
think people turn up early for religious services? It is simply because
they know it is going to go on with or without them. Can’t the same go
for social events even if the guest of honour decides to come in late?
Why can’t we make
dignitaries who decide to turn-up behind schedule, feel guilty and
ashamed of themselves rather than make the prompt guests feel silly for
coming in early? And who had better set this new trend than we the
youth? Do we not have the perfect avenue in The Future Awards, that
celebrates youth that dare to be different? Isn’t it better for the
show to go on without the dignitaries who only add face value to the
show than for the hall to be half empty when Chude Jideonwo, delivered
his challenging speech? But that was what was obtained that evening.
